As Trump calls for ban on Muslims, Kentucky Muslim Siddique Malik speaks out

Former state Senate candidate Siddique Malik is condemning calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States

After an attack in San Bernardino, California which officials think is connected to terrorism, Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump proposed a ban on Muslims entering the nation; a position he has defended in recent days.

Malik, a Muslim who immigrated from Pakistan more than 40 years ago at the age of 18, says Trump is “triggering fears, and exploiting… society’s insecurities” against Muslims in an effort to gain support in the primary contest.

“Every now and then two, three or four Muslims create some havoc somewhere in the world, and it’s just not in America…,” Malik said.

“This woman terrorist who committed the crime with her husband, she came from the same city in Pakistan where I was born and raised, so no place in the world is safe,” he continued. “Issue is there, so the fear is there.”

Trump’s statements on Muslims seem to be resonating with some segment of the population. The New York real estate mogul’s popularity numbers have surged reaching 41 percent in recent national polling by Monmouth University, due in large part to the position, some are reporting.

Other polls on the issue have cut both ways.

A recent Wall Street Journal/ NBC poll finds most Americans are against the bans, but the GOP is split on the issue. Among GOP primary voters polled, 39 percent oppose the ban and 38 percent are in favor of the ban, according to the poll.

“The sad part is, it somehow is clicking with a segment of the Republican Party. That’s what really bothers me,” Malik said in an interview Friday with Pure Politics.

Malik said the poll “frightens” him, but he has faith in American values and hopes that is what wins out in this debate, and in the primary.

“I’m really worried. It takes us on a collision course — society on a collision course. When I say ‘us’ I’m not talking about Muslims I’m talking about we Americans,” Malik said.

The split between Muslims and Christians in America is “exactly what” ISIS wants, Malik said.

“Yes, ISIS does want this, and Donald Trump is playing in their hand; as Pentagon said the other day, Donald Trump’s statements are hurting America’s national security by creating these frictions in society,” he continued.

As juxtaposition, Malik also considered the shooting in Colorado at a Planned Parenthood which was carried out before the California attacks.

Malik said the crimes are “the same thing” both using weapons to “inflict their perverted mentality on innocent people.”

“Society is not panicking on that Colorado incident, and I pointed out in my [Courier-Journal] article there’s a reason for that, because society understands what’s going on — this one man gun crazy,” Malik said. “His ideas are also based on his ideas of Christianity — he has to do something.”

A larger point, Malik considered when speaking with Pure Politics, was a call for people of the Muslim faith to “modernize their thought process.”

He was clear that he didn’t want to infringe on individual beliefs, but what he does want to see are Muslims, and Muslim countries practicing the concept of “public square.”

“Public square, when you come there you congregate…for the sake of humanity, you leave your individual thoughts behind — you have to behave as a human being,” he said.

Malik said conversations on faith and public square are past due. In the time being, he said Muslims across the world need to strongly condemn attacks in the name of Islam.

Nick Storm

Nick Storm is the Anchor and Managing Editor of Pure Politics available exclusively on Spectrum News. Pure Politics is the only nightly program dedicated to Kentucky politics. Nick covers all of the political heavyweights and his investigative work brings to light issues that might otherwise go unnoticed, like his coverage of the backlog of DNA rape kits waiting to be tested in Kentucky. Nick is also working on a feature length bio documentary Outlaw Poet: A documentary on Ron Whitehead. Pure Politics airs weeknight at 7 and 11:30 on Spectrum News. Follow Nick on Twitter @NStorm_Politics. Nick can be reached at 502-792-1107 or nicholas.storm@charter.com.